The baptism of little children is an evil abomination—Little children are alive in Christ because of the Atonement—Faith, repentance, meekness and lowliness of heart, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end lead to salvation. About A.D. 401–21.
📜 11 And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.
Section 3
Little Children Do Not Need Baptism
Jesus Christ taught that little children are sinless before God (see Matthew 18:3; Mark 2:17; Moroni 8:8). Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, little children do not need baptism. Parents have the responsibility to teach their children the importance of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost (see Doctrine and Covenants 68:25–28) Children are to be baptized at age eight, which the scriptures describe as the age of accountability (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:71; 29:46–47; 68:27). “All children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom” (Doctrine and Covenants 137:10).
Some individuals have disabilities that prevent them from being accountable. They do not need repentance or baptism but are saved in the celestial kingdom (see Moroni 8:22; Doctrine and Covenants 29:49–50; 137:10). Church leaders have clarified that “ordinances should not be withheld [from individuals with disabilities] if the person is worthy, wants to receive them, and shows sufficient responsibility and accountability.”¹
Ordinances for Those Who Have Intellectual Disabilities
A doctrinal and scriptural dissection
📘 1. Moroni 8 — The Foundational Text
Moroni 8 is the most direct and uncompromising revelation on this question. Mormon, writing to Moroni, declares:
▪︎ “Little children need no repentance, neither baptism… baptism is unto repentance” (Moroni 8:11).
From this single verse, several doctrinal pillars emerge:
A. Baptism is tied to repentance
- Repentance presupposes accountability.
- Accountability presupposes the ability to sin knowingly.
- Little children cannot meet those conditions.
📜 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
📕 Luke 3
📜 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
📜 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
📜 23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.
📜 71 No one can be received into the church of Christ unless he has arrived unto the years of accountability before God, and is capable of repentance.
📜 27 And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands.
📚 Moses 6
📜 57 Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.
B. Little children are whole in Christ
Moroni 8:8 teaches that because of the Atonement, “little children are alive in Christ.”
This means:
- They are not stained by Adam’s transgression.
- They are not morally accountable yet.
- They are covered entirely by Christ’s grace.
📜 3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
📗 Isaiah 3
📜 4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
📜 13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
📜 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
📜 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
📜 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
📜 14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
📜 26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.
📜 10 Wherefore, ye shall remember your children, how that ye have grieved their hearts because of the example that ye have set before them; and also, remember that ye may, because of your filthiness, bring your children unto destruction, and their sins be heaped upon your heads at the last day.
📜 24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.
📒 Moroni 8
📜 22 For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing—
📜 42 For all men must repent and be baptized, and not only men, but women, and children who have arrived at the years of accountability.
📜 70 Every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name.
📜 7 But little children are holy, being sanctified through the atonement of Jesus Christ; and this is what the scriptures mean.
📜 40 But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.
📜 10 And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.
📚 Moses 6
📜 54 Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.
📜 58 Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:
📜 59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;
📜 39 He also quoted the next verse differently: And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.
C. Baptizing little children is called a “gross error”
Mormon condemns the practice because it denies the power of Christ’s Atonement and misunderstands the nature of sin and accountability.
Summary: Why Little Children Do Not Need Baptism
Latter‑day Saint scripture forms a unified doctrinal witness: baptism is a covenant ordinance requiring repentance, accountability, and conscious discipleship—conditions little children cannot yet meet. Moroni 8 stands as the clearest revelation, declaring that “little children need no repentance, neither baptism,” because baptism is inseparably tied to repentance and repentance requires accountability. Christ Himself taught that those who come to baptism must “bring forth fruits meet [worthy] for repentance,” something infants and young children cannot do.
Across the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, the pattern is consistent: children are whole, holy, and alive in Christ. They are not stained by Adam’s transgression, they are not capable of moral sin, and they are fully covered by the Atonement. The Lord therefore establishes the age of accountability at eight years old, when a child becomes capable of repentance and covenant‑making. Before that age—and for all who lack accountability—baptism “availeth nothing,” because they are already redeemed through Christ’s grace.
Thus, baptizing little children is called a “gross error” not because God withholds mercy, but because such a practice denies the very power of the Atonement and misunderstands the nature of sin, agency, and redemption.
The New Testament reinforces this doctrine:
- Matthew 18:3 — Christ teaches that little children embody the humility and purity required for the kingdom of heaven.
- Mark 2:17 — Christ came to call
🌿 Do Little Children Need Baptism?
A doctrinal and scriptural dissection
📘 1. Moroni 8 — The Foundational Text
Moroni 8 is the most direct and uncompromising revelation on this question. Mormon, writing to Moroni, declares:
> “Little children need no repentance, neither baptism… baptism is unto repentance” (Moroni 8:11).
From this single verse, several doctrinal pillars emerge:
A. Baptism is tied to repentance
- Repentance presupposes accountability.
- Accountability presupposes the ability to sin knowingly.
- Little children cannot meet those conditions.
📜 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
📕 Luke 3
📜 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
📜 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
📜 23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.
📜 71 No one can be received into the church of Christ unless he has arrived unto the years of accountability before God, and is capable of repentance.
📜 27 And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands.
📚 Moses 6
📜 57 Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.
B. Little children are whole in Christ
Moroni 8:8 teaches that because of the Atonement, “little children are alive in Christ.”
This means:
- They are not stained by Adam’s transgression.
- They are not morally accountable yet.
- They are covered entirely by Christ’s grace.
📜 3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
📗 Isaiah 3
📜 4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
📜 13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
📜 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
📜 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
📜 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
📜 14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
📜 26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.
📜 10 Wherefore, ye shall remember your children, how that ye have grieved their hearts because of the example that ye have set before them; and also, remember that ye may, because of your filthiness, bring your children unto destruction, and their sins be heaped upon your heads at the last day.
📜 24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.
📒 Moroni 8
📜 22 For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing—
📜 42 For all men must repent and be baptized, and not only men, but women, and children who have arrived at the years of accountability.
📜 70 Every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name.
📜 7 But little children are holy, being sanctified through the atonement of Jesus Christ; and this is what the scriptures mean.
📜 40 But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.
📜 10 And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.
📚 Moses 6
📜 54 Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.
📜 58 Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:
📜 59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;
📜 39 He also quoted the next verse differently: And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.
C. Baptizing little children is called a “gross error”
Mormon condemns the practice because it denies the power of Christ’s Atonement and misunderstands the nature of sin and accountability.
Summary: Why Little Children Do Not Need Baptism
Latter‑day Saint scripture forms a unified doctrinal witness: baptism is a covenant ordinance requiring repentance, accountability, and conscious discipleship—conditions little children cannot yet meet. Moroni 8 stands as the clearest revelation, declaring that “little children need no repentance, neither baptism,” because baptism is inseparably tied to repentance and repentance requires accountability. Christ Himself taught that those who come to baptism must “bring forth fruits meet [worthy] for repentance,” something infants and young children cannot do.
Across the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, the pattern is consistent: children are whole, holy, and alive in Christ. They are not stained by Adam’s transgression, they are not capable of moral sin, and they are fully covered by the Atonement. The Lord therefore establishes the age of accountability at eight years old, when a child becomes capable of repentance and covenant‑making. Before that age—and for all who lack accountability—baptism “availeth nothing,” because they are already redeemed through Christ’s grace.
Thus, baptizing little children is called a “gross error” not because God withholds mercy, but because such a practice denies the very power of the Atonement and misunderstands the nature of sin, agency, and redemption.
The New Testament reinforces this doctrine:
- Matthew 18:3 — Christ teaches that little children embody the humility and purity required for the kingdom of heaven.
- Mark 2:17 — Christ came to call sinners to repentance, not the sinless.
These passages align perfectly with Moroni 8: little children are not in the category of “sinners needing repentance.”
📗 Isaiah 1
📜 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
📜 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
📕 Mark 1
📜 4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
📕 John 20
📜 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
📜 33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.
📘 Doctrine and Covenants 13 entire chapter if you feel inclined to tap the link provided
📜 64 Therefore, as I said unto mine apostles I say unto you again, that every soul who believeth on your words, and is baptized by water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost.
📜 74 Verily, verily, I say unto you, they who believe not on your words, and are not baptized in water in my name, for the remission of their sins, that they may receive the Holy Ghost, shall be damned, and shall not come into my Father’s kingdom where my Father and I am.
📜 4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
📜 68 We still continued the work of translation, when, in the ensuing month (May, 1829), we on a certain day went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying:
📜 69 Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.
Summary: Christ’s Teachings on Repentance, Baptism, and Remission of Sins
Jesus Christ’s own teachings confirm the doctrine revealed in Moroni 8: little children are not sinners in need of repentance or baptism. Christ calls sinners—not the innocent—to repentance (Mark 2:17), and He identifies childlike purity as the very pattern of heaven (Matthew 18:3). Because baptism is inseparably connected to repentance and the remission of sins, it applies only to those capable of sin and accountability.
Scripture consistently teaches that remission of sins comes through Christ’s atoning blood (Isaiah 1:18; Matthew 26:28) and is accessed through repentance and baptism (Mark 1:4; D&C 84:64). The Book of Mormon affirms that sanctification and remission come “through the shedding of the blood of Christ” (Moroni 10:33). Restoration scripture further reveals that the Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys of repentance and baptism for the remission of sins (D&C 13; JS–H 1:68–69), and the Articles of Faith place repentance and baptism together as foundational ordinances.
Because little children are already pure, alive in Christ, and without sin, they have no need of repentance or remission—and therefore no need of baptism.
Latter‑day Saint doctrine adds clarity and structure:
A. Age 8 is the scriptural age of accountability
- D&C 68:27 — Children are to be baptized at age eight.
- D&C 29:46–47 — Before age eight, children are “redeemed from the foundation of the world.”
This is not arbitrary; it is a revealed threshold where moral agency becomes operative.
B. Children who die before accountability are saved
- D&C 137:10 — “All children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom.”
This is one of the most sweeping and merciful declarations in Restoration scripture.
The doctrine extends beyond chronological age:
- Moroni 8:22 — Those “not capable of committing sin” are covered by Christ.
- D&C 29:49–50 — Those who cannot understand the law are not under condemnation.
- D&C 137:10 — They inherit celestial glory.
Church leaders clarify that ordinances may be given if the individual desires them and demonstrates accountability—but they are not required for salvation.
Putting it all together:
A. Baptism is a covenant of agency
It requires:
- Understanding
- Choice
- Repentance
- Commitment
Little children cannot yet exercise these faculties.
B. Christ’s Atonement fully covers the innocent
The Restoration rejects the idea of inherited guilt.
Children are not born fallen—they are born redeemed.
C. Baptism is not a ritual of fear, but a covenant of discipleship
It is not a safeguard against damnation.
It is a conscious entrance into the path of Christ.
No. Little children do not need baptism.
They are sinless before God, redeemed through the Atonement of Christ, and incapable of moral accountability. Baptism is reserved for those who can repent, choose, covenant, and understand—beginning at age eight or when accountability is present.
Latter‑day Saint scripture presents a unified, consistent doctrine: little children do not need baptism. Moroni 8 stands as the clearest revelation, declaring that baptism is inseparably tied to repentance, and repentance requires accountability—something infants and young children do not yet possess. Jesus Christ Himself taught that little children are pure, humble, and exemplars of the kingdom of heaven, and He came to call sinners to repentance, not the innocent.
Across the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, the pattern is unwavering: children are whole, holy, and alive in Christ. They are not stained by Adam’s transgression, they cannot commit moral sin, and they are fully covered by the Atonement. The Lord therefore establishes the age of accountability at eight years old, when a child becomes capable of understanding, choosing, repenting, and entering into covenant. Before that age—and for all who lack accountability—baptism “availeth nothing,” because they are already redeemed through Christ’s grace.
The Restoration further clarifies that all children who die before accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom, and individuals with disabilities that prevent accountability are likewise covered by Christ’s Atonement. Ordinances be offered when desired and responsibly chosen, but they are not required for salvation.
In the end, baptism is not a ritual of fear or a safeguard against damnation. It is a covenant of agency, discipleship, and conscious commitment to Christ. Little children, being innocent and redeemed, stand already within His grace.
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